In the past, coke breeze (produced as a by-product of coke production), coal fines (produced as a by-product of coal mining per se) and blast furnace revert materials (produced as a by-product of steel production) have been routinely discarded, in large quantities, creating a source of pollution and presenting a fire hazard which continues for decades.
Coke is a pure carbon, high heat, clean burning fuel used primarily in steel-making blast furnaces and other industrial applications. It is made from metallurgical grade coal which is heated in the absence of air in large ovens. Volatile matter is driven off the coal, leaving pure carbon. Small pieces of coke, known as coke breeze or coke fines, are a waste product of the coke-making process. Coke breeze has, for years, been accumulated as a waste product from the above-described process by which coke is manufactured. Stockpiles of waste coke breeze are unsightly and constitute an ever enlarging source of environmental pollution.
Coke breeze per se is not suitable for use in blast furnaces because of its small size and, consequently, is of little or no value to the steel manufacturer.
Coal fines, similarly, are small coal particles ranging from less than one quarter of one inch in diameter to dust size which are created during coal mining operations. Coal fines are available in abundance worldwide and have historically been simply accumulated in piles at various locations, presenting a disposal problem for coal producers as well as a fire hazard. Typically, coal fines are disposed of at or near the mine site in piles or trenches, creating actual and potential environmental problems.
Blast furnace revert material comprises mill scale, dust and sludge derived from the production of steel, which contains a large amount of non-oxidized combustible particles or pieces. This material also has over the years been discarded and stored as ugly piles of useless material which presents environmental and fire hazard problems, both actual and potential.
Disposal of coke breeze, coal fines, and revert material has been a long-standing problem of substantial proportions. Similarly, providing a useful purpose and useful form for coke breeze, coal fine, and/or revert materials has been a major long-term problem for which, prior to the present invention, a satisfactory solution has not been found. Prior attempts to place coke breeze, coal fines, and/or revert materials in a solid form, such as briquettes, has been largely unsuccessful because the product does not adequately bind and is instable, disintegrating or retrogressively degrading back into small, fine particles during storage and handling prior to use.